This application pertains to the art of bulk loading and more particularly to filling empty containers with pelletized solids through a small hole provided in the container. Further, the application pertains to methods and apparatus for rapidly filling containers with dry ice pellets. The invention is specifically applicable to filling cold food storage containers such as used in connection with the transportation of food products where the cold-filled containers are used to maintain the food products at a reduced temperature to prevent spoilage during shipment.
Recent trends in Europe and other countries throughout the world have created a demand for an efficient mechanism whereby food products that are transported over great distances are maintained at or below an established temperature to greatly eliminate the spoilage process. One such method is to transport the food products in tractor trailers or railway box cars together with ice or carbon dioxide blocks, the latter most commonly in the form of dry ice pellets. In practice, the pelletized carbon dioxide, typically the size of rice grains, is placed within a plurality of rectangular easy-to-handle and stackable containers. The filled boxes are interlaced between the food products packed in a cargo box. The dry ice pellets absorb the heat within the cargo box and establish and maintain a reduced temperature of the food products in accordance with the applicable laws, customs and practice.
After the food products have reached their intended destination, the dry ice pellet containers are emptied, cleaned and refilled with fresh dry ice pellets for reuse in connection with the transportation of additional food products.
When a large number of dry ice pellet containers are involved, one significant limitation in the transportation process becomes the efficient filling of those containers with fresh dry ice pellets. Therefore, it is desirable that a method and apparatus be provided for filling a large number of containers with dry ice pellets in a manner that does not significantly impede but rather expedites the fresh food shipment process.
It is desirable that the apparatus be automated to uniformly fill a plurality of substantially identically sized dry ice containers substantially one after another. Prior art methods, including hand-filling of the containers, are very inefficient and labor intensive.